New Zealand delivered a blistering response to last week's shock reverse against Argentina as they ran rampant with a 53-3 win in the Rugby Championship.
A much-improved All Blacks side delivered an emphatic performance to keep their hopes of a competition triumph alive as they turned the screw on their rivals, easing the pressure on coach Ian Foster.
For the Pumas, who clawed their way to a maiden away victory against New Zealand last time out in Christchurch, there was no last-gasp rearguard effort to seal another victory, with a sound drubbing on the scoreboard.
But coach Michael Cheika, who will also guide Lebanon in this year's Rugby League World Cup, is still trying to establish them as a genuine threat to the sport's heavyweights ahead of France 2023.
They looked unlikely to claim successive scalps from the first whistle in Hamilton, however, after their hosts raced out to an early lead, steered by fly-half Richie Mo'unga.
An early penalty moments after Argentina knocked on the kick-off settled initial All Blacks nerves, before Ethan de Groot and Caleb Clarke muscled over for sharp tries to stretch the lead inside the first 20 minutes.
Emiliano Boffelli managed to slot over a penalty of his own with half-time approaching, but when Tomas Lavanini was sent to the sin bin on his own try-line, Rieko Ioane made them pay with another try before the break.
An improved Pumas performance after the interval suggested there could have been the chance of another remarkable comeback, but an inability to sustain pressure meant what resistance they had left quickly faded,
That opened the floodgates for a morale-boosting second half showcase from the hosts, with further tries for Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett racking up a bonus point blitz on the visitors.
With that haul, it means that New Zealand, for all their troubles, sit top of the table, with Australia and South Africa still to play this round – and the All Blacks will fancy their prospects with this result when they make the trip to Melbourne.
Late collapse puts India on the back foot against New Zealand
Ravindra Jadeja took a five-for but New Zealand hit back with some late wickets of their own against India on Friday.
India looked in complete control at 78-1 in the penultimate over of the first day of the third Test in Mumbai, having bowled New Zealand out for 235.
Jadeja, who bowled 22 unchanged overs, was in sensational form with the ball, taking 5-65.
Able support arrived from the excellent Washington Sundar, who finished with figures of 4-81. His haul included the wicket of Daryl Mitchell (82), who was the only New Zealand batter to really make a dent.
Rohit Sharma's dismissal for 18 in the seventh over did not derail a positive start to India's chase, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) and Shubman Gill (31 not out) looking steady at the crease.
However, Jaiswal was bowled by Ajaz Patel (2-33) in the 18th over, with Mohammed Siraj pinned lbw from the very next ball.
Patel was unable to complete his hat-trick, but Virat Kohli was run out for four in the next over as New Zealand rallied, and the tourists now have plenty of momentum heading into day two.
Data Debrief: Three of a kind
India have won their last three Tests at Wankhede Stadium, including a 372-run win over New Zealand in their last match at the venue (3 December 2021), after not registering a win in three matches prior to that span (D1 L2).
And they looked well placed to push on and continue that run as they looked to avoid slipping to a third defeat of the series.
They last lost three successive Tests on home soil back in the 1970s, when they faced England, but their late capitulation has left them vulnerable to matching that.
England aiming to be one of 'world's best' teams, says Earl
England have aspirations of greatness, asserted Ben Earl as he prepares to face New Zealand in a friendly at Twickenham.
The 26-year-old was optimistic about the progress England had made under Steve Borthwick despite registering two losses at the hands of the All Blacks in July.
England will be seeking revenge after losing the second match of the test in a devastatingly close 16-15 defeat. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso had scored a try to put England ahead after scores had been tied 10-10 at half-time, but two penalty kicks from Damian McKenzie ended their hopes.
Earl, however, believes the heartbreak has given his country an opportunity to develop.
“I think it’s an experience all the big teams go through, you have to go through some heartache to get over the line,” he told TNT Sports.
“It just feels like it’s the evolution of all the top teams, and we are a team that wants to be known as a great team, some of the world’s best.
“So we know the heartache is good for a while, but it’s time to go and do it at the right time. We got a glimpse of it against Ireland last year, and we feel we are due one, and we have learnt some really hard lessons over the summer, so we feel we are in a better place for it.
“We have always said you don’t win easily against us and that’s something we have developed over the last 18 months with Steve’s mindset and the boys getting hold of it, and now I feel it’s time to get over the line in one of these big games.”
New Zealand have won their last three matches, having defeated Japan and secured a double over Australia. They struggled against reigning world champions South Africa, however, as they failed to exact revenge on the Springboks in late summer tests falling to defeat twice.
Undoubtedly, the All Blacks still represent some of the best talent in the world, with Earl expected to line up opposite New Zealand’s superstar Wallace Sititi.
“There’s stardust littered all over the pitch isn’t there? There’s some pretty cool match-ups; it just feels like a game that isn’t going to disappoint,” he said.
England won’t be overawed, though. Instead, they aim to make their west London home a fortress for visiting sides to travel to.
“[Twickenham is] a place where we want to be really, really hard to beat. And we’ve always said in the camp, if you want to beat us at Twickenham you are going to have to be over and above the norm,” Earl said.
Borthwick urges England to 'finish the job' ahead of Autumn Nations Series opener
Steve Borthwick has challenged England to "finish the job" by converting positive performances into victories against the world's top teams.
The 2003 world champions begin their Autumn Nations Series against New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
England are aiming to bounce back from narrow defeats against the All Blacks, who prevailed 16-15 and 24-17 in their two previous encounters in July.
Borthwick's side were also narrowly beaten 33-31 by France in their final match of this year's Six Nations, while a last-gasp 16-15 loss at the hands of South Africa denied them a place in the 2023 World Cup final.
And the head coach wants his players to demonstrate their ruthless streak to get them over the line against the bigger nations.
"We've got a young squad," he told TNT Sports. "There's a real feeling of enthusiasm for where they can take this team.
"I think you've seen that evolution with the team, but also seeing there's plenty we've still got to do. It's a brilliant series ahead.
"There was a period where the England team weren't necessarily challenging those teams at the top of the world rankings. Now, we've been able to do that in recent times.
"We haven't won as many games as we wanted to. In a lot of those games, it came to that final quarter where we've been in a position to win it, and we haven't been able to convert it to the result we wanted.
"Now, we're going to make sure we finish the job, and that's been part of the discussion with the players last week."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
